THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thank you, please
be seated. Thanks for coming. (Applause.) It's great to
be in the heartland of our country. (Applause.) And I want
to thank you all for being here this morning to help kick
off our Heart and Soul of America Tour. (Applause.)

There will be big differences in this campaign. They're
going to raise your taxes, we're not. (Applause.) I have
a clear vision on how to win the war on terror and bring
peace to the world. (Applause.) They somehow believe the
heart and soul of America can be found in Hollywood.

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: The heart and soul of America is found
right here in Springfield, Missouri. (Applause.)

I'm looking forward to the campaign. I'm looking forward
to getting out amongst the people. We're going to Michigan
and Ohio this weekend. Everywhere I've been going the crowds
are big, the enthusiasm is high, the signs are good --
with your help, Dick Cheney and I will lead this nation
for four more years. (Applause.)

I'm sorry Laura is not here -- I know you are, too. (Laughter.)
You probably wish she was speaking, and not me. (Laughter.)
She is a great First Lady. (Applause.) Today you'll hear
some reasons why I think you need to put me back into office.
But perhaps the most important reason of all is so that
Laura will be First Lady for four more years. (Applause.)

I appreciate my running mate. I tell you, he's not the
prettiest man in the race -- (laughter) -- but he's got
sound judgment -- (applause) -- and he's got great national
-- he's got great experience in national security. He's
a steady man. I'm proud to have him by my side for four
more years. (Applause.)

I thank my friend, Roy Blunt, for his leadership and for
his great introduction. I'm proud to be working with you.
(Applause.) I appreciate my friend, Kit Bond. You need
to send him back to Washington, D.C. (Applause.) And two
years ago, you sent a good one from Missouri in Jim Talent.
I appreciate you, Senator. Thank you for being here. (Applause.)

I'm honored that Kenny Hulshof and Jo Ann Emerson are
with us, two fine members of the House of Representatives.
Thank you all for coming. Proud you're here. (Applause.)
Speaker Catherine Hannaway, it's good to see you again.
It wasn't just but yesterday, it seemed like, we were in
St. Charles, Missouri together. Thank you for coming. I
appreciate your warm introduction there. (Applause.)

Can't help but notice my friend Johnny Morris is here.
Gosh, I wish we were fishing. (Laughter.) I was in the
Bass Tracker, I want you to know, over the weekend in Crawford.
It didn't sink. (Laughter.) Great to see you, friend. Thanks
for coming.

I'm proud so many citizens showed up here. I appreciate
the grassroots activists who are here. I'm here to ask
for your help. I'm not only traveling the country to ask
for the vote, I'm here to ask for your help. I'd like you
to call up people on the phone and encourage them to register
to vote. Encourage them to do their duty on election day
to vote. And when you get them headed toward the polls,
make sure you nudge them toward that George Bush/Dick Cheney
lever. (Applause.)

I'm glad Joe White is here. He runs Kanakut Camps. Thanks
for coming, Joe, I appreciate you coming. (Applause.) I
met a fellow named Charlie Graas. He's a volunteer with
the Stone County Food Pantry. Let me tell you why I mention
him. The strength of America is in the hearts and souls
of our citizens, people who are willing to feed the hungry,
provide shelter for the homeless, love a neighbor in need.
Charlie, thank you for being an army -- a soldier in the
army of compassion. (Applause.)

Every incumbent who asks for the vote has to answer one
question: Why? Why should the American people give me the
great privilege of serving as your President for four more
years? In the past few years, we've been through a lot
together. We've accomplished a great deal. But there's
only one reason to look backward at the record, and that
is determine who best will lead the nation forward. (Applause.)
I'm asking for your vote because so much is at stake: prosperity
and peace. We have so much more to do to move this country
forward. Give me four more years, and America will continue
to march toward peace and better prosperity. (Applause.)

THE AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more
years!

THE PRESIDENT: I'm asking for four more years to make
our country safer, to make the economy stronger, to make
our future better and brighter for every, single citizen.
From creating jobs to improving schools; from fighting
terror to protecting our homeland, we have made much progress,
and there is more to do. (Applause.)

We have more to do to make America's public schools the
centers of excellence we all know they can be, so that
no child is left behind in America. When we came to office
three-and-a-half years ago, too many of our children were
being shuffled from grade to grade, year after year, without
learning the basics. We're challenging the soft bigotry
of low expectations. We've raised the bar. We're setting
high standards. We're focusing on results. We're insisting
on accountability. We're empowering parents. We're making
sure local folks are in charge of schools. And, today,
children across America are showing real, substantial progress
in reading and math. (Applause.) When it comes to improving
America's public schools, we are turning the corner and
we're not turning back. (Applause.)

This world of ours is changing. The jobs of the future
will require greater knowledge and higher level skills.
We'll reform our high schools to make sure a high school
diploma means something. We will expand math and science
education so our young people can compete in a high tech
world. We will expand the use of the Internet to bring
high-level training into our classrooms. With four more
years, we'll help a rising generation gain the skills and
the confidence to achieve the American Dream. (Applause.)

We have more to do to make quality health care available
and affordable. When we came to office, too many older
Americans could not afford prescription drugs. Medicare
didn't pay for them. Leaders in both political parties
had promised political -- had promised prescription drug
coverage for years. We got it done. (Applause.) More than
4 million seniors have signed up for drug discount cards
that provide real savings. And beginning in 2006, all seniors
on Medicare will be able to choose a plan that suits their
needs and gives them coverage for prescription drugs.

We've expanded community health centers for low income
Americans. We've created health savings accounts so families
can save, tax-free, for their own health care needs. When
it comes to giving Americans more choices about their own
health care and making health care more affordable, we
are turning the corner and we're not turning back. (Applause.)

This world of ours is changing. Most Americans get their
health care coverage through their work. Most of today's
new jobs are created by small businesses, which too often
cannot afford to provide health coverage. To help more
American families get health insurance, we must allow small
employers to join together to purchase insurance at discounts
available to big companies. (Applause.)

To improve health care we must limit the frivolous lawsuits
that raise the cost of health care and drive good doctors
out of medicine. (Applause.) We must harness technology
to reduce costs and prevent deadly health care mistakes.
We must do more to expand research and development for
new cures for terrible diseases.

In all we do to improve health care in America, we will
make sure the health decisions are made by doctors and
patients, not by bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)

We have more to do to make America's economy stronger.
We've come through a recession, terrorist attacks, corporate
scandals. We overcame these obstacles because of the hard
work and will of the American entrepreneur, the small business
owner, the farmers and the workers. And we came through
these obstacles because of well-timed tax cuts. (Applause.)

We gave tax relief to every American who paid taxes. We
didn't play favorites with the tax code, we didn't try
to pick winners or losers. We made sure families with children,
and married couples and small businesses got tax relief.
(Applause.) And this time the check really was in the mail.
(Laughter and applause.)

Because we acted, our economy since last summer has grown
at a rate as fast as any in nearly 20 years. (Applause.)
Because we acted, America has added more than 1.5 million
new jobs since last August. (Applause.) Because we acted,
Missouri has added more than 82,000 jobs over the past
11 months; your unemployment rate is now 5.2 percent. (Applause.)
When it comes to creating jobs for America's workers, we
are turning the corner and we are not turning back. (Applause.)

Today, I met a fellow named Kit Carson. He's a small business
owner here in Springfield. The most new jobs in America
are created by small business owners. That's why the cornerstone
of our tax relief plan says we're going to help the small
business owners. (Applause.)

Here's what he said about tax relief. This is a fellow
who's hiring people right here in this area; this is a
fellow who's making investments. He said the effect is
already -- is showing already. It's going to get better.
I'm an optimistic guy, he says; I think we might see a
boom bigger than the 90's. The tax relief we passed is
working. (Applause.)

We will do more to make America more job friendly and
America's workplaces more family friendly. To keep American
jobs in America, regulations should be reasonable and fair.
To keep the jobs here at home, we must lessen our dependence
on foreign sources of energy. (Applause.) To keep American
jobs here, we must end the junk lawsuits that hurt our
small businesses. (Applause.) And to keep this economy
growing so people can find work, we will not overspend
your money, and we will keep your taxes low. (Applause.)

We'll offer America's workers a lifetime of learning,
and help them get training for jobs of the future at places
like our community colleges. The education and training
they offered can bridge -- can be the bridge between people's
lives as they are, and people's lives as they want them
to be.

Today, I met Kristin Heydt. She's from Springfield, as
well. She used to be a bank teller. With the tax relief
she and her family had as a result of the tax cuts, she
went back to school. She's now a nurse. She completed a
program. She now makes three times the amount of money
she made before, because of education. (Applause.)

Good education means workers can realize their dreams.
To make sure we continue to grow our economy, we will insist
on a level playing field when it comes to trade. We want
Missouri farmers selling Missouri crops all over the world.
(Applause.) And we'll make sure American families keep
more of something they never have enough of, and that's
time -- time to play with the kids, time to go to the little
league games, time to care for elderly parents, or time
to go to class themselves. I believe Congress ought to
enact comp-time and flex-time to help America's families
better juggle the demands of work and their home. (Applause.)

The goals of the economic agenda are clear. After four
more years, our nation will have more small businesses,
greater opportunities, better jobs, and higher wages for
the American people. (Applause.)

We have more to do to wage and win the war against terror.
America's future depends on our willingness to lead in
the world. If America shows uncertainty and weakness in
this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This
will not happen on my watch. (Applause.) The world -- the
world changed on a terrible September morning. And since
that day, we changed the world.

Before September the 11th, Afghanistan served as the home
base for al Qaeda, which trained and deployed thousands
of killers and set up terror cells in dozens of countries,
including our own. Today, Afghanistan is a rising democracy,
an ally in the war on terror, a place where many young
girls go to school for the first time. And as a result
of our actions, America and the world are safer. (Applause.)

Before September the 11th, Pakistan was a safe transit
point for terrorists. Today, Pakistani forces are aggressively
helping to round up the terrorists, and America and the
world are safer. (Applause.) Before September the 11th,
in Saudi Arabia, terrorists were raising money and recruiting
and operating with little opposition. Today, the Saudi
government has taken the fight to al Qaeda, and America
and the world are safer. (Applause.) Before September the
11th, Libya was spending millions to acquire weapons of
mass destruction.

Today, because America and our allies have sent a strong
and clear massage, the leader of Libya has abandoned his
pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and America and
the world are safer. (Applause.) Before September the 11th,
the ruler of Iraq was a sworn enemy of America. He was
defying the world. He was firing weapons at American pilots
and forcing the world to sanctions. He has pursued and
used weapons of mass destruction against his own people.
He had harbored terrorists, he invaded his neighbors, he
subsidized the families of suicide bombers. He had murdered
tens of thousands of his own citizens. He was a source
of great instability in the world's most vulnerable region.

I took those threats seriously. After September the 11th,
we had to look at the threat in a new light. One of the
lessons of September the 11th is we must deal with threats
before they fully materialize. (Applause.)

The September the 11th Commission concluded that our institutions
of government had failed to imagine the horror of that
day. After September the 11th, we cannot fail to imagine
that a brutal tyrant who hated America, who had ties to
terror, had used weapons of mass destruction and might
use those weapons or share his deadly capability with terrorists
was not a threat.

We looked at the intelligence; we saw a threat. Members
of the United States Congress from both political parties,
including my opponent, looked at the intelligence and they
saw a threat. (Applause.) We went to the United Nations,
which unanimously demanded a full accounting of Saddam
Hussein's weapons programs, or face serious consequences.
After 12 years of defiance, he refused to comply with the
demands of the free world. When he continued to deceive
the weapons inspectors, I had a decision to make: to hope
for the best and to trust the word of a madman and a tyrant,
or remember the lessons of September the 11th and defend
our country. Given that choice, I will defend America every
time. (Applause.)

When it comes to fighting the threats of our world and
making America safer and promoting the peace, we're turning
the corner and we're not turning back. (Applause.) We have
more to do. We will continue to work with our friends and
allies around the world to aggressively pursue the terrorists
and foreign fighters in places like Iraq and Afghanistan
and elsewhere. See, you can't talk sense to the terrorists.
You can't hope for the best. You can't negotiate with them.
We will engage those enemies around the world so we do
not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)

We will continue to lead the world with confidence and
moral clarity. We've put together a strong coalition to
help us defeat the terrorist threats. Over 40 nations are
involved in Afghanistan, some 30 nations are involved in
Iraq. Over the next four years, I will continue to work
with our friends and build alliances. But I will never
turn over America's national security decision to leaders
of other countries. (Applause.)

We will keep our commitment to help Afghanistan and Iraq
become peaceful, democratic societies. These two nations
are now governed by strong leaders. They're on the path
to free elections. More and more people in Afghanistan
and Iraq are stepping up to secure their own country from
these killers. They understand the benefits of a free society.
Moms and dads in Afghanistan and Iraq want their children
to grow up in a peaceful world, and so do we. (Applause.)

The people of these countries can count on our continued
help. When we acted to protect our own security, we promised
to help deliver them from tyranny, to restore their sovereignty,
to set them on the path of liberty. And when America gives
its word, America will keep its word. (Applause.)

In these crucial times, our commitments have been kept
by the men and women of our military. (Applause.) I thank
those who are here today who wear our uniform, and I thank
their families, as well. (Applause.) I've seen their great
decency and the unselfish courage of those who wear our
uniform. The cause of freedom is in good hands. And when
these good folks are in harm's way, they deserve the best
pay, the best equipment, the best possible training. (Applause.)

That's why last September, when our troops were in combat
in both Afghanistan and Iraq, I proposed supplemental funding
to support them in their missions. The legislation provided
for body armor and vital equipment, hazard pay, health
benefits, ammunition, fuel, spare parts. In the Senate,
only a handful of what I would call "out of the mainstream" folks
-- that would be 12 senators -- voted against that legislation.
Two of the 12 are my opponent and his running mate. (Applause.)

THE AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: He tried to explain his vote by saying:
I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted
against it. (Laughter.) End quote. He's got a different
explanation now. One time he said he was proud he voted
against the funding, then he said the whole thing was a
complicated matter. (Laughter.) There is nothing complicated
about supporting our troops in combat. (Applause.)

In the long run, our security is not guaranteed by force,
alone. We must work to change the conditions that give
rise to terror: poverty and hopelessness and resentment.
You see, a free and peaceful Iraq and a free and peaceful
Afghanistan will be powerful examples to a neighborhood
that needs the example of liberty. Free countries do not
export terror. Free countries do not stifle the dreams
of their citizens. By serving the ideal of liberty, we're
bringing hope to others, and that makes America more secure.
By being resolute and strong, by working for the ideal
of liberty -- after four more years, America will be more
secure and the world will be more peaceful. (Applause.)

These are still dangerous times. There's an enemy out
there that would like to hurt us and change our way of
life and shake our will and shake our confidence. I agree
with the conclusion of the September 11th Commission when
they said our homeland is safer, but we are not yet safe.
We've started the hard process of reform. We've transformed
our defenses and created a new Department of Homeland Security.
We passed the Patriot Act to give law enforcement new tools
to track terrorists. (Applause.) The mission of the FBI
is now focused on preventing terrorism.

We're integrating intelligence and law enforcement better
than we have ever before. When it comes to better protecting
America, we're turning the corner, and we're not turning
back. (Applause.) We will do more to better secure our
ports and borders, to train first responders, to dramatically
improve our intelligence gathering capabilities. Reform
is not easy, and it never is; achieving reform takes --
requires taking on the special interests, requires challenging
the status quo.

You see, it's not enough to advocate reform -- you have
to be able to get it done. (Applause.) When it comes to
reforming schools provide an excellent education for all
our children, results matter. When it comes to health care
reforms to give families more access and more choices,
results matter. When it comes to improving our economy
and creating new jobs, results matter. (Applause.) When
it comes to better securing our homeland and fighting the
forces of terror, results matter. (Applause.) And when
it comes to choosing a President, results matter. (Applause.)

THE AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more
years!

THE PRESIDENT: This week, members of the other party gathered
in Boston. We heard a lot of clever speeches, and some
big promises. My opponent has good intentions, but intentions
do not always translate to results. (Applause.)

After 19 years in the United States Senate, my opponent
has had thousands of votes, but very few signature achievements.
(Applause.) During eight years on the Senate Intelligence
Committee, he voted to cut the intelligence budget. And
he had no record of reforming America's intelligence-gathering
capability. He had no significant record for reforming
education and health care. As a matter of fact, he and
his running mate consistently opposed reforms that limit
the power of Washington and leave more power in the hands
of the people. (Applause.)

He's spent nearly 20 years in the federal government,
and it appears he's concluded that it's just not big enough.
(Laughter.) He's proposed more than $2 trillion of additional
federal spending, and he's just getting started. (Laughter.)
The problem is, he hasn't told us how he's going to pay
for it. We can figure it out, can't we?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE PRESIDENT: He's had a history of voting for higher
taxes.

AUDIENCE: Yes!

THE PRESIDENT: We're going to make it clear his prescription
for America is the wrong medicine. (Applause.) We're not
turning back to the old days, the old Washington mind set
that says they will give the orders, you will pay the bills.
We've turned a corner from that way of thinking, and we're
not turning back. (Applause.)

These are exciting times for our country. It's a time
of amazing change. The economy is changing. The world is
changing. In our parents' generation, moms usually stayed
home while fathers worked for one company until retirement.
The company provided health care, and training, and a pension.
Many of the government programs and most basic systems,
from health care to Social Security to the tax code were
based, and still are based on those old assumptions.

This is a different world. Workers change jobs and careers
frequently. Most of these jobs are created by small businesses.
They can't afford to provide health care or pensions or
training. Parents are working; they're not at home. We
need to make sure government changes with the times, and
to work for America's working families. You see, American
workers need to own their own health care accounts. They
need to own and manage their own pensions and retirement
systems. (Applause). They need more ownership so they can
take the benefits from job to job. They need flex-time
so they can work out of the home.

All of these reforms are based on this conviction: The
role of government is not to control or dominate the lives
of our citizens. (Applause.) The role of government is
to help our citizens gain the time and the tools to make
their own choices and improve their own lives. (Applause.)
That's why I will continue to work to usher in a new era
of ownership and opportunity in America. We want more people
owning their own home. We want more people owning their
own business. We want more people owning and managing their
own health care system. We want more people owning and
managing a part of their retirement systems. When a person
owns something, he or she has a vital stake in the future
of the United States of America. (Applause.)

In this world of rapid change, some things will never
change. Our conviction that every life matters and every
life counts will not change. (Applause.) Our belief in
liberty and opportunity and the non-negotiable demands
of human dignity will not change. (Applause.) The individual
values we try to live by -- courage and compassion, reverence
and integrity, hard work and duty -- won't change. (Applause.)
We'll always honor the institutions that give us direction
and purpose, our families, our schools, our religious congregations.
(Applause.) These values and institutions are fundamental
to our future. They deserve the respect of our government.
(Applause.)

We stand for institutions like marriage and family, which
are the foundations of society. (Applause.) We stand for
a culture of life in which every person matters and every
person counts. We stand for judges who strictly and faithfully
interpret the law, instead of legislating from the bench.
(Applause.) And we will work together to build a culture
of responsibility. The culture of this country is changing
from one that has said, if it feels good, just go ahead
and do it, and, if you've got a problem, blame somebody
else, to a culture in which each of us understands that
we're responsible for the decisions we make in life. (Applause.)

If you are fortunate to be a mother or a father, you're
responsible for loving your child with all your heart and
all your soul. (Applause.) If you're worried about the
quality of the education in the community in which you
live, you're responsible for doing something about it.
(Applause.) If you're a CEO in corporate America, you're
responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders
and your employees. (Applause.) And in a responsibility
society, each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor,
just like we'd like to be loved ourselves. (Applause.)

For all Americans, these years in our history will always
stand apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation
when little is expected of its leaders. This isn't one
of those times. None of us will ever forget that week when
one era ended and another one began. September the 14th,
2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers. It's a day
that I will never forget. I remember the workers in hard
hats yelling at me, "Whatever it takes." I remember
a fireman or a policeman, I can't remember which one, looking
me in the eyes and saying, "Do not let me down." As
those folks did that day, and like many other Americans,
we took it personally. I took it personally. I have a responsibility
that goes on. I wake up every morning thinking about how
to better protect our country. I will never relent in defending
America, whatever it takes. (Applause.)

We've come through much together. We've done some hard
work. We've turned a corner. We've moved -- we're moving
America forward by extending freedom and peace around the
world. We're expanding opportunity here at home. During
the next four years, we will spread ownership and opportunity
to every corner -- every corner of this country. We will
pass the enduring values of our country to another generation.
We will lead the cause of freedom and peace and we will
prevail. With your support, and with your prayers, I will
be a leader America can count on in a world of change.
(Applause.)

Four years ago, as I traveled this great country asking
for the vote, I made a pledge to my fellow Americans, that
if you honored me with this great responsibility, I would
uphold the dignity and the honor of the office to which
I had been elected. (Applause.) With your help, I will
do so for four more years. (Applause.)